Redford amazes in the eloquent 'All is Lost' (review)

At 77, Robert Redford pulls off his role with almost astonishing physicality in Â All is Lost. (Daniel Daza/Cannes Film Festival)

The eloquent “All is Lost” is a classic old man in the sea adventure built around a masterful, wise performance by Robert Redford — the only actor in the entire film.

Risk-taking filmmaker J.C. Chandor scrubs the deck of many dramatic devices for his sophomore feature, casting aside much of the dialogue for a story about a solitary character dangerously adrift in the Indian Ocean. We never know this man's name, nor where he's from.

That deficit of intimate background takes some getting used to. And while “All is Lost” isn't a head-scratcher like the impressionist “The Tree of Life,” it is hardly a traditional film — and it requires patience and a willingness to surrender to its natural, ebb-and-flow rhythm.

No matter how you feel about it, though, you have to agree it's gutsy.

Chandor made a name for himself — and landed an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay in the process — with his standout 2011 debut “Margin Call,” a whip-smart economic thriller set on the eve of Wall Street's financial collapse in 2008.

That drama was hardly mainstream fare, but it did adhere to the staples of moviemaking with its large cast and meaty screenplay. With “All is Lost,” Chandor gives us a spartan narrative that evokes the mood and stripped-down style of the Jack London tale “To Build a Fire.”

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Containing a jarful of words — the most deployed in a stirring monologue written with the reflectiveness of a Walt Whitman poem and delivered with resigned acceptance by Redford — “All is Lost” is not only quiet but quietly shattering. But even though it has none of the razzle-dazzle spectacle of Ang Lee's “Life of Pi,” it is stirring and evocative nonetheless.

Redford plays a sailor braving the elements after his 39-foot yacht is struck by a shipping container and starts to take on water. The bare-bones scenario and lack of detail on who this guy truly is likely will induce some into a slumbering state while sending others into rapturous fits of praise over its directness and hidden symbolism.

I belong in the laudatory camp and appreciate “All is Lost” even more as time drifts on.

Redford's performance marks a career milestone. The influential artist and champion of indie films is perfect in every scene, never overreaching nor overemoting as challenges — storms, injuries, sharks — pile up.

In lesser hands, his character's ordeal might have been portrayed with big punctuation marks and dramatic flourishes. Redford's reactions are honest, in tune with a man of the sea. Production designer John Goldsmith creates an experienced sailor's world, fully brought to life on Redford's boat, and the actor benefits from the realistic environment surrounding him.

Since there's not much dialogue, we are left to fill in the blanks and soak up the atmosphere.

The minimalist approach to a story about a man confronting his mortality encourages us to seek out allegory. I view “All is Lost” as a sad commentary on how we pass right by the “nameless” elderly, ignoring them and leaving them to their own dwindling resources.

Others will see something else. Who's right? Who's wrong? That's the beauty of risk-taking filmmaking: It can be any of the above.

Because of that and the more obvious parallels, “All is Lost” will be compared and contrasted to “Gravity,” the thinking person's box-office hit. And while both are survival stories that delve into metaphysical musings, each takes us on a different journey and leaves us with distinct impression.

With “Gravity,” the audacious image of Sandra Bullock curling up in an embryonic state remains lodged in my head. With “All is Lost,” that melodious opening monologue haunts my soul.

I'll never forget either film or scene. Especially as I, too, grow older.

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